The Southland – Influence of Geography / 2005 Ruffworld / 13 Tracks / http://www.the-southland.com / http://www.ruffworld.com / Reviewed 21 August 2005
The slightly-electronic sound of The Southland makes for a mass of tracks that are eminently ready for alt-rock radio, and some even have the hooks necessarily for The Southland to make it even on the relatively closed set that is TRL. “Aftermath” is one of these tracks, which couples a very savvy arrangement with a soulful guitar solo. The Southland’s cover of “I Only Have Eyes For You” transforms the very depressing and saccharine-laced Flamingoes track into something that is modern and not quite as wince-inducing. While “Each His Own” might sound outwardly similar to a John Maher track, there is a certain sincerity to the music that The Southland commits to a disc.
The further jam-band style of music showcased on the disc, especially during “Shining Sun” is essentially the same style of music that can be heard blaring out of frats nationwide. The music that The Southland play is not at the bleeding edge of originality, but the way in which they play their music is near perfect. “Influence of Geography” has the spot-on production values and in-band talent enough to succeed. “Radio” is the one track on the disc that ironically is not up to snuff in terms of quality for The Southland; the anemic tempo of the track and the lack of any translatable hooks really makes the momentum of the disc slow to virtually nil. “Good Grief’s” sweetly-spoken vocals are in the same way a non-starter for the band as “Radio”; the endgame for The Southland during “Influence of Geography” seems to be a victory the band cannot secure.
The penultimate track “Anything At All” is the first success for The Southland since “Shining Sun” and really allows the band to assault the ears of their listeners with a diverse array of arrangements, which gradually add up to something well worth the wait. The Southland do have a few tracks on “Influence of Geography” that are perfect little bits of pop, but there is a humanity present on the disc that shows a band that does err at points. When one hears a track like “Debris”, the beauty of The Southland really makes sense – the gravity of the track is so heavy, yet there is an upbeat tempo present throughout the track that belies that feeling. The Southland are most definitely a band to keep tabs on, and perhaps on this next album there will be a further refining and tightening of their style to the point that each of the tracks will be like “Debris”.
Top Tracks: Debris, Miles
Rating: 5.2/10